Tides of Change
by Iced Perfection
Summary: [Complete] Brooke receives her first pokemon, but it is not what she expects. Alone, she decides to help them in their quest to destroy Team Magma. Follow Brooke through the Hoenn region to find her destiny.
1. Birthday Surprises?

Wow! My first Pokemon fic! Go me!

…yeah. Can you see the sarcasm?

**Chapter 1: Birthday...Surprises?**

"Mum, it's my birthday. Can I _please_ have a pokemon?" I took a bite from my breakfast--plain, warm pancakes.

"Brooke..." My father gave me a look from over the top of his newspaper.

"You promised!" I said angrily, slamming my fist down on the table.

"Brooke, dear, I..." Mother looked pleadingly at my father, who shrugged.

"I'm not in this anymore."

My mother sighed. "Brooke, your aunt sent me a letter last week, saying that when we felt you were ready, she'd send you a pokemon.

My eyes lit up. "Really?"

Holding up her hand, my mother stopped me before I could jump up. "She said she had an extra that she couldn't use, and I can go to the Pokemon Center in Oldale later today. Would you like that?"

I could hardly contain my excitement as I jumped up from the table, nearly knocking my father's coffee off the table. "Oh, really? Thank you, Mum!" I ran over and gave her a hug. "I'll even go for you right now!"

I ran outside, stopping at the bridge between Oldale and Newbark. Things were going great today fro me! First, I beat the stupid game that had been bugging me on my Gamecube, now this!

"Looks like someone's in a good mood."

I groaned. Typical for Aiden to ruin the moment.

"What do you want, Aiden?" I said icily. I didn't need him to ruin today for me too.

"Just to show you my new pokemon. Dad gave me a Torchic for my birthday yesterday! Bet you still haven't gotten one." Aiden walked up to me, the ever-present smirk residing on his face and a small, orange bird-like pokemon following him.

"As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to get my present right now."

"Ah, going to get a Zigzagoon? How typical. Very..._cliché._ Get an interesting pokemon, just for me, okay?"

I gripped the edge of the bridge railing. Aiden was just so...infuriating at times. I couldn't stand him. "I don't know what it is. If it's something stupid, I'm likely to send it back."

"What's that? Not catching your own pokemon?" Aiden clicked his tongue. "Not a good first move."

"As I recall, Mr. Smart-Aleck, you said your _dad_ gave you your Torchic." I grinned, knowing I had him.

Aiden's smirk faltered. "Well, it's still better than whatever you're going to get!" He stormed off, the Torchic struggling to keep up.

"Oh!" I remembered why I was really here. I dashed into the pokemon center, heading for the nearest telephone. I punched in the number, waiting for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Aunt Rose! I heard about the pokemon you promised me!"

A look of surprise passed Aunt Rose's face. "Oh, yes. That one. I have it right here." She moved it toward the teleporter that transferred pokeballs from one place to another. "But what have your parents said?"

"Why do you think I'm here? I wouldn't if I didn't have permission!"

Aunt Rose sighed. "Fine, fine. But if there are any complaints, I never knew anything about this. And _no tradebacks._ Ciao." She hung up, the pokeball already next to me. I picked it up, hugging it to me, knowing that this is where it all would begin.

I left the Pokemon Center, wandering into a meadow that was near the same river that ran near my home. Tossing up the pokeball, I waited to see what I got.

My face fell when I saw my pokemon, knowing that I wouldn't be able to give it back. Not after what Aunt Rose said.

"Worthless," I muttered. "This really _sucks_, you know."

* * *

Ouch.

What could this "worthless" pokemon be?

Note: For the sake of my sanity, I am not using the accent above the E in POKEMON and other such words.


	2. No Tradebacks

Eheheh...my chapters get longer as I go along. Not my fault...

**Chapter 2: No trade-backs**

"But _Mum!_ It's totally _worthless!_" I argued. I had been complaining for the past hour about how stupid my "fantastic" pokemon was. Obviously, my parents didn't know the value of a strong pokemon.

"You are _not _sending it back to Aunt Rose, and that's final, Brooke! She spent a lot of time finding the perfect pokemon for you. The least you can do is appreciate it!" Mum was the least understanding. Being a retired breeder, I could see where she got her opinions from.

"Can't I just go to Professor Birch and ask him for a Mudkip? I wouldn't bother you anymore, I promise!" Really, I just wanted to get a strong pokemon and get on the road...

"No! Say one more word and you're grounded!"

My jaw dropped. My mother _never _grounded me. "But Mum..."

"That's it!" she shrieked. "You're grounded! Grounded for the _rest of the month!_"

Tears welled up in my eyes. "You...you're so _heartless!_" I cried, running up to my room. It had started off so well, but the truth was that every birthday ended in my running up to my room to cry. Something always happened--Mum or Aiden would have to spoil it for me.

Looking at the clock, I remembered that I was thirteen now—a teenager, able to make decisions for myself. Smirking, I knew just what I should do.

Later that night, I pulled out my shoulder bag I had bought with my money from my parents and changed clothes. I had the perfect outfit--my white, sleeveless shirt and aquamarine skirt. I slipped on my hairband to keep my blue-streaked black hair out of the way while I was walking. I looked in the mirror over my dresser before opening a drawer, knowing this would be my last time at home for a long time. I also pulled the wing clips off of my mirror, the ones that I sometimes attached to my headband for luck.

I stuffed a few changes of clothes into my bag, along with anything else I would need as a pokemon trainer. I had lots of money left over, knowing I'd need it. As I started to battle, money wouldn't be a problem, but I needed it right now.

I crept downstairs after everyone was asleep, skipping the last stair that creaked. I stopped in front of the fridge, scribbling a short note on the white board, explaining that I was leaving and probably wouldn't be back. At least, not for a while.

I also stole two pokeballs from my dad's stash. He never used them—why let them go to waste when I could use them for myself?

"I'm a teenager now. I should be able to change my destiny," I whispered to myself. "I can live on my own."

Hurrying outside, I shut the door quietly. I headed north, to Oldale Town, then west to Petalburg. I had heard rumors about some good pokemon in the Petalburg Woods, so I decided to head there. I had a map I took from my home before I left. The last thing I wanted was to get lost!

Passing Oldale and heading into the Petalburg Woods, I began to notice how tired I was. I had stayed up to make sure I wouldn't miss the time when I wanted to leave. Sitting down against a tree, I didn't think anyone would notice me if I was quiet. No one ever passed through here anymore. I was safe. At least, I hoped I was. I reached into my bag and pulled out a repel. It'd last me through the night.

Gazing up at the sliver of moon visible through the canopy of trees, I fell asleep quickly, dreaming of amazing pokemon that were all mine to have.

"Give back the things you stole, jerk!"

"Make me!"

"Wha?" I realized I wasn't alone anymore, and I opened my eyes. I could hear a conversation--no, a battle--on the other side of the tree I was leaning against. Getting up, I brushed my skirt off and peeked around the tree.

"Treeko, use Pound!"

There was a girl around my age with mousy-brown hair and a coordinated green-and-white outfit commanding a Treeko.

On the other side of the battle, there was a boy who looked slightly older who was dressed mostly in blue with an odd symbol on his bandana...it looked like an "A" almost, but I wasn't sure.

"Poochyena, dodge and use Sand Attack!"

The Poochyena was agile, and swiftly moved before spraying a stream of sand into the Treeko's vision.

"Use Bite!"

Bite finished the Treeko off. Evidentially, the trainer hadn't leveled it up enough.

The girl scowled before pulling another pokeball from her bag. "Corphish!" She threw the ball into the air, releasing the crab-like pokemon inside. "Use Crabhammer!"

The Poochyena was already worn out, and Crabhammer was the final blow.

"Erk..." The other trainer obviously hadn't expected that and seemed to be in trouble.

"Now gimme back those goods you stole! They're the property of Devon Corporation, not you!" The girl walked over to the boy, the Corphish walking right behind her.

"No. I can't do that. If I did that, I'd be kicked out for sure!" He looked for a way to escape, but the girl blocked his only path.

"I don't care about you. I care about a reward that Devon Corp. will give me when I return their stuff. Now give it!"

The boy took a step backward and tripped on a large root sticking out of the ground. He fell, the Corphish leaping onto him and loosely fixing its claws around his neck.

"You have one more chance. Give it back."

The boy's eyes were filled with fear, but he shook his head. "I can't!"

"God, this is _so _not a fair fight," I muttered, looking around for something I could use to help the boy. My eyes narrowed as I smirked, picking up a large branch. "This'll do."

"You have till the count of three. One..." The Corphish's grip closed in on his neck. "Two..." It inched closer, the Corphish glaring at the boy.

She never made it to three. Branch in hand, I gave her a whack on the head before kicking the Corphish off as well.

The girl rubbed her head. "Ow..." She gave me a cold look, but I didn't back down.

Moving closer, I raised the branch slightly. "Leave now and you won't get hurt." I took a step towards her Corphish.

"Idiot," she laughed. "My Corphish can take you out in one hit. Don't even _think_ of messing with me."

"You're right," I said, loosening my grip on the branch, letting it drop. The boy on the ground made a move toward me, thinking I was making a stupid move. I sighed. "You may be stronger than me when it comes to pokemon…" I said, my hand clenching into a fist.

In the blink of an eye, my fist connected with the girl's cheek, sending her reeling.

"Why, you…" she hissed, rubbing the spot where I hit her. I smirked, assuming a stance that indicated that I would fight.

She grinned, removing her bag from her waist. "You'll regret ever messing with me," she said. She flew at me with agility I hadn't thought she was capable of. It took all of my own agility to move out of the way.

"Nngh…" I grabbed a branch and swung myself up into a tree. The girl looked up, unaware of where I was. I stood up on the branch and jumped, landing square on her shoulders, knocking her to the ground. She cried out in obvious pain, but she quickly resumed her glare and frown.

"That wasn't fair!" she yelled. I was sitting on her at the moment, pinning her to the ground.

"Say you'll leave and I'll let you go," I said in a mocking tone. She growled in reply.

"No? Fine." I reached for her discarded bag, just inches away. "Let's see what kind of pokemon you have—and how loyal they are to you."

"FINE!" the girl roared. "NOW GET OFF!" I gladly did so, moving away from her. She rubbed her right shoulder before glaring at the boy who lay beside me.

"You're lucky," she shot at the boy. "I'll get those goods back, whether you like it or not." She turned and ran off.

I smirked again, turning to offer my hand to help the boy up. His face held a look of surprise, not knowing what to say.

"T-thanks..." he stammered, accepting my help.

"No problem," I said. "But I think I landed a bit hard on her right shoulder. You okay?"

"Yeah. It's good I didn't let her take them. My boss would've been real mad. My name's Kendar, by the way," he said, offering his hand. I shook it.

"Brooke. I would've used a pokemon to help, but..." My voice trailed off.

"But what?"

"My pokemon is useless," I said in a flat voice.

"Useless? How?"

I sighed, pulling out the pokeball Aunt Rose had sent me. I tossed it onto the ground, a pokemon appearing between us.

"A Feebas?" he said. "Those aren't useless."

"It is when all it does is flap around. It's as worthless as a Magikarp." I called it back to its pokeball.

"No, it isn't. It's like a Magikarp, yes, but you have to train it a bit differently to make it useful."

"How?" I said, a bit skeptical.

"Use blue pokeblocks. Those'll increase its Beauty and soon you'll have a Milotic."

"Milotics come from_ Feebas?_" I said, gaping at him.

He nodded.

"Know where I can get some?"

"I can help--if I can interest you in joining Team Aqua."


	3. Beginning of a Dream

**Chapter 3: Beginning of a Dream**

"Team Aqua?" I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Aren't you guys evil or something?"

Kendar shook his head. "That's Team Magma. We're an organization that tries to stop Team Magma from completing their evil plans. They want to dry up all the rivers and oceans to make the Earth one big slab of earth!"

I frowned. "That's not good."

"We want to stop them and expand the oceans, giving water pokemon more places to live."

I nodded. "Sounds good to me. I'm in."

* * *

Over in Dewford, my rival, Aiden, had just won his second badge.

"Haha. I'll bet my Torchic that Brooke hasn't even won her first badge yet." He stopped outside the Pokemon Center. "Huh?" There was a group of people, dressed in black and red, standing next to a helicopter. He shrugged, continuing down the beach, waiting for the ferry that would take him back to the mainland.

"Did we get the stuff from Devon Corporation?" one of the girls asked.

"No. Some dude from Team Aqua got there first. I saw him being beat by this girl in Petalburg Woods, though. She probably did what a 'good person' would do and gave the stuff back," another replied.

"Well, Team Magma will win in the end. We always do." The first girl flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

"Didn't Maxie ask us to find new recruits, too? After that stupid officer arrested half our group last week..." one of the other guys said.

"For what?"

"Wandering around in "restricted" waters."

"Ah."

The first girl, obviously the leader, turned around, scanning the area. "I think I've found one already."

Aiden looked up as a hand rested on his shoulder. He spun around and growled. "What?"

"I'm sorry if I bothered you. I just wanted to know if you'd be interested."

"In what?" Aiden was starting to get annoyed.

"If you'd like to join Team Magma, of course. We saw you battling in the Gym and saw your potential."

"I have...potential?" Flattery was getting to Aiden's core. He was falling into her clutches.

"You have the potential to be one of the top admins in the team." The girl continued to flatter Aiden, immediately seeking his weakness and using it against him.

"Alright." Aiden finally gave in. "What do I have to do?"

* * *

"As soon as I tell Archie, he'll send some Bluk berries out right away if he's not too busy." Kendar and I walked into the Pokemon Center in Rustboro City. He headed to the telephones while I went to a computer to check my email.

Countless messages flooded my inbox, all from my parents or close relatives who lived in Newbark with us.

I looked at the first one, one from my parents.

_Brooke, this is _not_ funny. Get back here right now and I'll go easy on you._

I snickered. It was so nice not to have them on my back right now.

_If you don't get back home soon, Brooke, you're going to be grounded until you're twenty-seven!_

By the time I got to the end of the messages, I was laughing uncontrollably. Of course, the others in the center were giving me weird looks, but I didn't care. I typed one message back to them before deactivating my account. I didn't need it anymore and my parents would just keep sending me junk until I caved—which, of course, would never happen.

_Chill. I'm gone and you can't do anything about it. You don't even know where I am right now. I can take care of myself._

Shutting down the computer, I went over to where Kendar was. He was hanging up the phone, a small cardboard box sitting next to him.

"Archie sent the Bluk berries. Just be sure to be careful with them—they stain real easily."

"Thanks." I picked up the box. Kendar was right—there was already juice leaking out of the corners. I placed the box in a plastic bag before putting it in my shoulder bag.

"So, what was so funny over there?" Kendar asked as we walked outside. We were headed to Verdanturf, so I could make Pokeblocks.

I started to snicker again. "My parents. They sent me about fifty emails saying how 'worried' they are and all. Then the rest of my family sent some stuff too, probably because of Mum and Dad."

"You ran away?" Kendar said, a gleam in his eye.

Realizing that he could technically drag me home now, I looked away. "Maybe."

He just laughed. "Sounds like me. I ran away when I was fourteen and joined Team Aqua not long after. Best decision in my life."

"Nagging parents?"

"Yup."

So Kendar and I had something in common. Interesting.

We took our time heading toward the Rusturf Tunnel, talking about the pokemon that we wanted to catch. Even though I was with Team Aqua now, I still wanted one fire pokemon. Kendar just laughed and said it didn't matter—just as long as I didn't side with Team Magma instead.

"I think this will fit all the criteria of my dream," I said. "Getting to see the world, finding the perfect pokemon team, getting to know new people…"

Yup. This truly was a good decision on my part.

* * *

Ahh…getting more and more distracted by Kingdom Hearts II…and school, of course. :cough:

So if there isn't an update in a couple of days, it's the end of my Spring Break and I'm still sidetracked by several things.


	4. Through the Tunnel

**Chapter 4: Through the Tunnel**

"Ah! Man! I forgot!" Kendar slapped a hand to his head.

"What?" Brooke said, stopping in the middle of the path.

"The Rusturf Tunnel is closed right now. We can't go through that way."

We were right next to the entrance to the cave, a small house just a few feet way. A sign outside read, "CONSTRUCTION CREW," indicating people who were working on the cave lived there.

"I remember reading something about it. You have to take a ferry from Route Four to get to Dewford, then take another to Slateport, then walk up to Mauville, going west until you hit Verdanturf," I said thoughtfully, tapping my chin.

Kendar stared at me. "Please tell me we aren't going to actually do that."

I shook my head. "It takes several days. If we could use pokemon to move the rocks from the rockslide, we could easily get by."

Suddenly, a loud crash came from inside the tunnel, a cloud of dust emitting from the entrance.

Kendar glanced at me, neither of us knowing what was going on. Another crash was heard, louder than the first.

Finally, a girl walked out of the tunnel, coughing. She was followed by an Aron, one that looked quite dizzy. She looked familiar. Maybe…

Suddenly, I knew. She looked up at me.

"It's you!" we both exclaimed at the same time.

Kendar looked from me to the other girl. "Oh, yeah. You're the one who tried to kill me."

The girl brushed off her skirt. "It's Rory. I was trying to help Devon."

"Yeah, well it isn't very nice to help people when it means killing someone else!" I said angrily.

The girl scoffed at me. "Shut up."

My blood boiled. "That's it! I—"

Kendar stopped me. "Remember, Brooke. You still have to evolve your Feebas," he whispered.

I groaned. I hadn't had time to catch anymore pokemon. I still only had my worthless Feebas.

"Hey, the tunnel's clear!" A shout came from the construction crew house. "She cleared it!"

A large crowd of workers swarmed around Rory, congratulating her and asking what she did. Naturally, she took in all the glory and proceeded to gloat about it.

"Now's our chance," I murmured to Kendar. We both silently ran to the entrance of the tunnel, slipping in and disappearing into the darkness. Rory would never miss us.

Inside, my eyes took a little bit to adjust. While the tunnel itself wasn't long, it was wide and very tall.

"So," Kendar said, breaking the silence we had been walking in for quite a while. "What other pokemon do you exactly want?"

"Well, I know for sure I want a Ponyta. I think a Mareep would be good to have too, along with a Wailmer, Raichu and Tropius." I sighed. "But most of all I want a Jirachi. I saw one in a storybook and I want one _so_ badly."

"Archie could probably find one for you. Or he could find a team of scientists that could make one for you."

"Really?" My smile widened. If I was still back with my parents, there wouldn't be a chance of having a Jirachi, just the few kinds that roamed around near Oldale and Petalburg. Zigzagoon, Ralts, Wumple, Wingull, Poochyena…

"They're so dull," I said out loud.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said hastily.

A bit of light was soon visible in the distance. That meant that we were almost out of the tunnel.

Finally, we saw Vanderturf. There were flowers everywhere; on the sides of the road, in window boxes, in peoples' hair…

"It's like being back in that Pretty Petal Flower shop I was dragged to every day with my mother," I said, shuddering. "Not exactly something I want to bring back."

"You don't like it?" Kendar said, surprised. "Most girls like flowers."

"Well, I don't," I snorted. "Honestly. All flowers do are sit there in the wind, blowing back and forth. They're like girls, if you think about it. Sitting there, waiting for someone to pluck them from their roots and take them away…" I stopped, not wanting Kendar to think I was crazy or something.

Kendar blinked. "I never thought of it that way. But the way you put it, it's true."

"Really?" It was the first time anyone had ever complimented my…_odd_…way of putting things. "Most of the time people just think I'm insane."

"I don't think you are."

I looked back at Kendar for a moment before turning back to face the field of flowers before us. "I think we should stay here for the night. It's getting dark." I pointed up at the moon, which was barely visible amid the numerous stars that hung in the sky. Traveling in the tunnel hadn't taken long, but it was already nighttime.

Heading to the Pokemon Center, I noted the location of the Contest Hall. I'd be going there first thing in the morning, crushing my berries into Pokeblocks. They were all that were on my mind at the moment, the thought of a beautiful Milotic filling my head as we got rooms at the Center. I lay down on the bed, too excited to sleep.

My head was filled with wonderful thoughts…until thoughts of Aiden crept into my mind, unbidden. I frowned, turning over and abandoning the thoughts. My mind was now empty, and I was able to fall asleep quickly. I hadn't had a good night's sleep in two days. Right now, that's all I wanted to do.


	5. First Mission

AHH! I'm sorry, everyone! I've gotten so sidetracked and all…It's hard to keep up with anything here at the end of the year. Twenty school days left! Well, not including finals…bleh. (For everyone who is just reading this chapter now: I updated the previous chapters (Ok, one and four) to make some stuff fit. Not too big, but hey, it's worth reading if you want to get some stuff later.)

**Chapter 5: First Mission**

I awoke to a loud rap on the door.

"Excuse me, but you have an call on the phone, Miss Vivra."

"Nurse…Joy?" I sat up, dazed. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes before slowly getting up and opening my door. "Yes?"

"There's a call waiting out here for you."

"From whom?"

"A man named Archie."

Brooke was fully awake now. I ran to the main lobby. Never mind that I was still in my pajamas: a blue tank top and white pants. Picking up the phone, I saw the face I had seen hundreds of time on TV—but usually (well, always), it was in a bad way, telling of the "evil" Team Aqua had done, when in fact, they were just stopping Team Magma from doing something incredibly stupid.

"Yes?" Brooke said.

"I've heard from Kendar that you have decided to join Team Aqua. Is that correct?"

I nodded. "Yes, I would like to be a part of this team."

Archie nodded as well. "That's good. We're in short supply nowadays. We can always use new recruits. Anyways, Kendar told me about the pokemon you wanted. I can send you most of them now."

"Really?" I could barely contain my excitement. I was finally getting some cool pokemon! "Wait. Speaking of Kendar, where is he?"

"He's over here in Lilycove, doing some work for us."

"Oh. And, now as in, _now?_" I said, returning to the previous topic.

"Now."

As if on cue, a pokeball appeared in the teleporter next to the phone. I picked it up, laughing. I finally would have a true pokemon team.

"Brooke, you know how to play the koto, right?"

I looked up from the pokeball. Another appeared and I picked that one up too. "Yeah. Why?"

"I need you on a mission. And the pokemon I'm entrusting you with are special—they respond to commands relayed through music."

I gave a confused look. "Why?"

"For missions. I need you for a mission, Brooke."

My eyes widened. "W-what? So soon?"

"We need a young girl, one who hasn't been seen by Team Magma."

I hugged the pokeballs to my chest. "What kind of mission?"

"Infiltrate Team Magma's hideout, near Lavaridge. Infect their computers with a virus I will send you and reroute their shipment of pokemon to Lilycove to our place."

I made a mental list in my head. "Got it. But how will I get in?" I picked up the last of the pokeballs.

"Brooke? You have a package over here," Nurse Joy called, pointing to a rather large package on the counter. I set the pokeballs down on the shelf below the phone and opened the package, pulling out what looked like a red kimono.

"What? I don't…" I began. My voice trailed off. "Oh, no…You wouldn't…"

* * *

"No way in_ hell_ I'm doing this!" I raged. I walked out of my room, dressed in the kimono.

Archie laughed. "It'll be okay, Brooke. Believe me."

"Yeah, Brooke. You look great!"

I blushed. "Wait…I know that voice! Kendar!" I looked back at the screen. Nurse Joy had hooked up the phone in my room to the one outside so I could have a conversation there. "What are you doing there!"

"Doing work. Didn't Archie tell you?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess he did." I pinned my hair up and pushed two flower pins into the bun, sliding the wing ones I brought in behind my ears.

"Your pokeballs will go in your obi," Archie added. I struggled with the liquid silk before finally managing to tie it in the proper way.

"Why me? Why did it have to be a _geisha_?" I moaned. It was almost time to leave.

"It's the most inconspicuous job you could go to a party as. Short of dressing you as a Magma member, I don't think there is another way."

I sighed and slipped my shoes on. "I'll be back before long, right?"

"It'll take half an hour at the most. I promise. Now it's time to go. I said you'd be there at three-thirty. It's almost two, and it takes a while to get there…"

"Oh, great. I have to walk in these things, don't I!" I said angrily, pointing to the wooden, block-like shoes I now wore.

"But I've sent a car for you. I have to go now, so I will just wish you good luck. If you complete it correctly, there'll be more than just money as a reward."

My eyes shone with the promise of money. "Thank you, Archie! Bye!"

"Bye."

"Bye, Brooke! I'll see you later!"

I heard Kendar's voice before the screen clicked off. Walking outside, I gave a little gasp, which turned into a squeal. "A _limo_!"

It was true. It wasn't that big, but it was a limo. A black limo.

"Miss Vivra?" A man standing by the limo opened it up for me. I stepped inside, sinking back into the plush seat behind me.

"I could get used to this," I muttered. Pulling out the pokeballs Archie had sent me, I listed the pokemon inside. "Tropius, Quilava, Flygon and Wailmer."

I had memorized the codes for the pokemon as well, what notes activated what attacks. It didn't take much for me to memorize something—it came natural to me.

"Here we are."

I stepped out of the car, finding my balance on the shoes I wore and walked towards the entrance to Team Magma's base.

"Ah, it's the geisha we hired. What's your name?"

There were several people gathered in several rooms along a hall. One door was open, and they motioned me in.

"Ryuri."

"Ryuri? What a pretty name," one woman said, who was seated next to a man who was at the head of the group. I looked at him for a minute before realizing that it was Maxie, the man who was the leader of Team Magma. "Why don't you play a song for us on your koto? I've heard good things about you from your _okiya_."

"Thank you." I bowed. I had no clue what I was doing, or what I was getting myself into, but I went ahead all the same. I sat down and motioned towards the man who had driven me: the koto I had been given was brought in by him. I made a few preparations and quickly began to play a song—_Akatombo_, Red Dragonfly.

At the end of the song, I excused myself to go look for the computers and pokemon.

I found the computer room easily enough, looking around for a map to where the pokemon might be held. I didn't find that, but I found a list on the desk nearby that listed where the pokemon were to be shipped off to. I quickly changed all the addresses to our base before inserting the disk into the main computer. The virus began to load.

When it finished, I sighed a sigh of relief.

"Hey! Are you lost? You're supposed to be back in here!"

I panicked for a second before turning around. A Magma grunt was standing outside, looking very uneasy on his feet. Sake, probably.

I put on an innocent face. "I got lost and found myself in here. It is very impressive, this large computer place you have."

The guy nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I wanna see you dance!"

Back in the room, I saw a clock that read four o'clock. Two hours left. How was I going to survive?

"Have her play the Song of Storms. I remember my neighbor playing it. It'll be a good thing before I go on that mission."

I froze. I knew that voice. Looking up, my eyes widened. There was a boy about my age surrounded by four girls.

It was Aiden.


	6. A Silent Battle

Trying to keep this updated…

**Chapter 6: A Silent Battle  
**

"Aiden," I muttered under my breath. I didn't want him to notice me. My hands shook a bit as I started to play the song. Aiden was right when he remembered that I couldn't play the Song of Storms very well. It troubled me: I didn't want my cover blown.

After I had finished, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had made it through the song.

"Dance!" someone called from the group. My heart began to race. Dance how?

I took a deep breath and stood up, flicking the fans open that Archie had given me earlier with the kimono. Hitting a button on the boom box behind me, music flowed out from it. I began to dance, the words of the song rising in my throat, which I had to suppress.

But really, I had no idea what I was doing.

So I just made up some stuff, really, twirling my fans around, flipping them at odd moments, keeping my eyes down on the floor…

When the song ended, I bowed and started to sit down.

"Hey…what's your name?"

I froze.

"You look like my neighbor…She likes that kind of music, and wears little wing clips just like those." Aiden paused before giving a small gasp. "Brooke?"

I panicked for a moment before smirking. "You'd be correct, Aiden."

"Are you a geisha now?"

I wanted to punch that boy so badly, but I held myself back.

"No, you idiot." I untied my obi to reveal my aquamarine dress underneath that fell short of my ankles. "I do something more fun." I let my hair down, tossing the two flowers aside, leaving the wings in, also pulling on a white bandana that bore the symbol of Team Aqua.

"I'm a part of your rival Team."

And so the chaos began. I pulled out a pokeball.

"Flygon!"

I knelt back down at the koto, my hands poised over the instrument if anyone was to attack.

Several members of Team Magma pulled out pokeballs, but Aiden held up his hand.

"I want to battle her alone. Out." He pointed to the door. Obediently, the grunts filed out, sliding the door shut behind them. Only one person remained, Maxie. He seemed reluctant to leave, but when Aiden glared at him, he nodded and left as well. Aiden pulled out a pokeball. "Looks like we finally get to battle, Brooke."

I sighed. "Don't call me that anymore, Aiden. Call me Li. I've started a new life."

"Fine, _Li_," Aiden said in a mocking tone.

I flushed an angry red. I wanted to use my nickname one of my friends had given me, wanting to leave my parents as far behind as I could.

"Numel." Aiden tossed his pokeball into the air. "Why don't we take this outside?"

I narrowed my eyes. I wouldn't be able to do that—I'd have to move the koto and then Aiden would know I needed it and would most likely destroy it, knowing him.

"Ember!" Aiden's command came first.

I struck a note on the koto. Flygon dodged the attack with ease. I struck another. Flygon attacked with Dragonbreath.

"What the…" Aiden was taken by surprise by my "non-verbal" attacks.

Smiling, I continued to attack. Flamethrower. Wing Attack. Sand Tomb. Swift.

One by one, I knocked out his pokemon.

"Rock Tomb!"

I made a small sound in my throat. He had knocked my Flygon out with a Camerupt.

I held up another pokeball to continue the battle, but the wall behind me suddenly collapsed in a cloud of dust.

"Hand over the orb, Team Magma!"

I groaned. Even worse than Aiden was _Rory_.

I tossed the pokeball into the air anyways. I pulled a string on my koto. Wailmer performed a terrific Surf attack, knocking Rory back. I stood up, taking my koto with me, and rushing to the car. I didn't have to stay. My mission was complete.

I called Wailmer back to me and jumped in the limo, the driver knowing what to do and speeding off, back to the Pokemon Center. There, I would collect my things, and move to the Team Aqua base in Lilycove.

I sighed. "I want to evolve my Feebas. But I haven't had time."

A couple hours later I was moved in at the base. I had a room to myself, and a quite comfortable one at that.

I flopped down on my bed. I'd go to the Contest Center tomorrow.

"I am such a procrastinator," I murmured, closing my eyes. I turned my light off. I'd do everything tomorrow.

* * *

Yeah. I need to get some sleep to. And finish Trace Memory. When I have that done I'll start chapter 7. Maybe it'll be up by tomorrow, but I'm a bad procrastinator too, so don't expect any miracles. I have a sequel planned after this, though. Tides will only be two or three more chapters after this, the way it's planned right now. But the next one will be longer, I hope. Leave feedback for me, will ya? 


	7. Confusion and Questions

I'm like Brooke. I'm a horrible procrastinator. Sorry about the long wait! Finals are coming up, and I'm doing really bad in History. Sucks for me.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Confusion and Questions**

For the second day in a row, I awoke to a knock on my door. 

"Brooke! Brooke! You up yet? It's almost two o'clock!" Kendar's voice floated through the door.

I groaned. "No, I am not up, Kendar. I want to sleep after what happened yesterday. I have a hangover from that sake I had last night…"

"A hangover? Brooke! You're underage!"

"They didn't think so," I laughed. "Fine, I'll get up. And call me Li, would ya?" I stood up and opened the door.

"Archie's going to be here any minute to congratulate you on your mission!" Kendar said urgently. My eyes widened a bit. I turned around and ran to my dresser, rummaging through my clothes.

"Why are there more clothes in here than I have? I don't even recognize this!" I held up a dark shirt that fell off the shoulders along with a white, pleated skirt.

"We brought you a supply. Typically, we wear our uniforms," Kendar said, gesturing at his own, "but you are 'special' and need different outfits."

"'Special?'" I said. I didn't like the sound of that.

"It means you know what you're doing and will be the first asked for certain missions." Archie came up behind Kendar, who bowed to him before running off.

"I…erm…haven't gotten a chance to change, sir…" I mumbled. Even though I wasn't technically not dressed properly, I still didn't like people seeing me in my pajamas. Especially these.

The ones with the Milotics on them.

Archie laughed. "I see how much you like Milotic. Have you gotten it evolved yet?"

I shook my head. "I'm a bit of a procrastinator sometimes, you see. I've been a bit busy with other things to…" My voice trailed off.

Archie gave another laugh. "Don't worry. You still have those Bluk berries I gave you, right?"

Nodding, I took the blue-stained box out of my satchel and held it up.

Holding out his hand, Archie said, "Let me take them for you. I'll get them crushed into pokeblocks in no time at all. Then we can get that Feebas of yours evolved. And may I have the pokemon I gave you back as well?"

I nodded again, retrieving the balls from my bag. "May I ask why?"

"I want to give you a new team. These only respond to sound, remember?"

"Oh," I said. It was too simple. "Am I allowed to choose them?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Come by Room Twenty-six later," he said, pointing to a room on the map hanging next to the door. "I'll give you a new team of your choice. We'll have plenty pokemon for you too choose from, since you diverted that pokemon shipment last night!"

Giving a small nod, I started formulating a team in my head.

"I need you to go on one last mission tomorrow, okay?" Archie's voice penetrated my thoughts.

"Sure. And could you call me Li as well? I like that name better and it would…be an advantage to me to use it."

"Fine with me. I'll give you the mission details later. Right now I have to run," he said, glancing at his watch.

I gave a slight nod and closed the door, picking up the shirt and skirt I had found earlier. I walked into the bathroom and flicked the light on, gasping at what I saw.

Well, first I gasped. Then I squealed.

The bathtub was _huge_. Not as big as a swimming pool, but close enough. I guess this was the perk of being with Team _Aqua_. Too bad Aiden was with Magma. I gave a smirk and pulled off my clothes, diving into the already-filled pool. It was deep, too.

I swam around for a bit, finding that the taps on one side of the pool emitted bubbles that formed a layer on top of the water. I giggled and turned on every tap. Soon the whole room was filled with bubbles.

"Having fun, are we?"

I gave a small gasp and blushed. "Kendar! Get out! I'm not wearing anything!" Pulling the bubbles in around me, I sank into the water.

Kendar laughed. "I doubt you could see anything through all those bubbles."

"Still! Geez, why can't I remember to lock the doors for once?" I muttered under my breath. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I just wanted you to tell me how everything went last night." He walked over to the side of the pool and sat down.

I laughed. "It was awesome. You should've seen the look on Aiden's face when he saw me."

"Aiden?"

"You could say he's my rival. We grew up together, and he was always mean to me."

Kendar nodded. "So he's a member of Team Magma?"

"Yeah. I played some music and danced after doing what I was supposed to be doing there. I wanted to leave so badly. But then Aiden blew my cover. He recognized my voice and my wings," I said, pointing to the hair clips that remained in my hair. I noticed some of the bubbles were starting to disappear, so I turned on a couple of faucets to keep the supply steady.

"So then what happened?"

"We battled. I would've won, if it wasn't for Rory."

"Who now?"

"I don't even know who she is myself," I said. "Wait, you know her. She's the girl who attacked you."

"Oh! That girl."

"Yeah. The one who tried to kill you."

Kendar shook his head. "She's crazy."

"Anyways. Rory showed up right as I was about to finish Aiden off. I had to leave."

"That sucks."

"Majorly." I rolled my eyes. "Now I want to get out. How 'bout you get out of my room?"

Kendar pretended to think about it for a second. "Nope. I like it in here."

I gave a playful growl and swam over to him, slowly reaching up to his ankles. "What if I told you that you _had_ to leave?"

"I wouldn't."

I gave a smile before jerking Kendar into the pool. The look on his face was priceless as he landed with a splash in the water. There was a look of surprise until he surfaced. Then, there was a look of evil. Well, he looked evil to me.

He pushed me under the water and tried to swim away, laughing. I grabbed his legs and held him where he was. I stopped, however, realizing that this could go too far. I surfaced, a blush ever-growing on my cheeks.

"Kendar? Can I get out now?" I said softly.

Kendar's smile faded. Nodding, he hoisted himself up out of the pool and closed the door. I heard the door to the hall click as well. I sighed.

"He likes me, doesn't he?" I murmured to myself as I climbed out and wrapped a towel around myself. I began to walk toward the sink on the other side of the room and I saw my reflection in the large mirror. "No…He can't…that was an accident…" I started walking toward the mirror again. I placed a hand on it, looking at my own self in the mirror. I couldn't fool myself…I looked worried, and didn't know what was going on. "Right?"

* * *

"So? I would've won!" He paused. "Don't talk to me that way!" Another pause. "I don't care if you're the authority; _I know what I'm doing!_" 

Aiden angrily slammed the phone down. "Damn him. I know what I am doing!"

Turning on the TV, he crawled onto his bed to take his mind off of the idiots he'd had to face that day. All because of Brooke. Or Li. Whatever she wanted to be called.

The darkness crept up into his room. He looked at the clock. Midnight. Aiden sighed, turning off the TV set and walking over to the cushioned seat that sat below the large window in his room that looked over a large valley.

The valley was deep and never ending, like his thoughts for Li.

"Damn you, Li."

His thoughts for her seemed to be growing. He didn't quite realize what they meant, but had some idea that he might like her.

"I'm so confused," he said, burying his head in his hands. He didn't know WHAT was going on now. He joined Team Magma hoping to impress her, but... How was that going to work when she was on the rival team? Where was this going to lead?

He looked up, staring into the sky. The moon glowed brightly in the sky, its crescent shape casting light on Aiden's face.

* * *

I had hung around my room for a while, doing a bit of 'redecorating.' I looked around my room before looking outside. 

"It's so pretty tonight," I said to myself.

There was no one in my room at that moment, so I was able to talk out loud to no one in particular. "The moon should be full in a week or so."

I began to brush my hair out, moving to stand beneath the window that looked out over the ocean. Far off in the distance, I could see Lilycove's lights, blinking on and off.

I sighed. "I'm so confused. And Aiden's not making things better for me, either. I'm glad he's on the other team."

I looked up at the moon, its light dancing on the floor at my feet.

* * *

A little insight on Aiden's life, huh? There should be more of him coming up when he realizes what his feelings mean. Aww…it's getting all sentimental. Like a chick-flick…the guy loves the girl, the girl doesn't, but ends up falling for him and leaves another guy heartbroken, etc, etc, etc… 

But that's not how it's going to turn out. :P

Wah…finals in three days…and I have History first. I hate History. Rather, I hate the teacher who is determined to fail me. Sorry about the wait. Leave feedback, okay?

I don't wanna do my finals! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!

On second thought, maybe you can.


	8. Finally!

So. I think it'll be one, _maybe_ two or three chapters after this. I might be able to stretch it, but I don't think I can.

Note: I've changed a few more things in previous chapters. I took Twisted Alyx's advice and dragged out the "fight scene" in Chapter 1. And fixed a few minor problems. It's all good. Thank you sooo much, Alyx. I think this story is a lot better than it was, thanks to your constructive criticism. If you want to call it that.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Finally!**

The sunlight streamed in through the large window directly in front of my bed. 

"Nngh…I don't want to get up…" I moaned, pulling the covers up over my head. "You can't make me…"

"Liiiii…Archie wants you out here in a while, you know!"

"Archie what?" I said groggily, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

"He has your pokeblocks," Kendar said in a sing-song voice. I bolted out of bed, running to get dressed.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I cried, pulling on a pair of black pants and a sky-blue tank top.

Kendar gave a laugh. "He'll be waiting in room twenty-six," he said, walking away from the door.

I grabbed my toothbrush from the side of the sink and quickly began to brush.

After I was done, I ran out the door and down the hallway, looking at the room numbers as I went.

"Twenty-two…twenty-four…twenty-six!" I said eagerly, pushing open the door. Inside, Archie was sitting in a chair. When he saw me, he stood up.

"Li! There you are. I was getting worried. Get enough sleep?"

I stiffened up before I realized he was teasing me. Smiling, I replied, "Yeah, I got enough sleep. Before Kendar woke me up, that is."

Archie shook his head. "That Kendar." Looking up at me, I felt the air shift. It was time for more serious things now. "I have the pokeblocks. Do you still have your Feebas?"

"Psh. Of course I do! I can't get rid of it. I'll be glad once it's turned into a Milotic," I said, pulling out the pokeball. A dull, golden, blue-finned fish was soon flopping on the floor.

Archie handed me a box filled with pokeblocks.

"How many should I feed it?" I asked, opening it up to find dozens of blue blocks.

"Just keep feeding it till it evolves."

I laughed. What if it got full before it evolved? Then where would we be?

I held out a pokeblock to the flapping Feebas. It eagerly gulped it down. I mentally slapped myself. I had neglected to feed it for a couple of days.

I felt so bad.

But I'd take care of it when it evolved, right?

As I fed it another one, I asked, "Archie, what do you have to do to be a pokemon coordinator?"

"Thinking of entering contests?" He thought for a minute. "You'll have to get a pass at Lilycove sometime, then train before you can enter. You don't want to enter without a strategy."

I thought about it for a minute, feeding the pokeblocks to the Feebas that was still flopping incessantly in front of me.

* * *

Half an hour and sixty-five blue pokeblocks later, my Feebas still hadn't evolved. I sighed. "I don't think this will work. Not only has it not evolved, it's getting fat." 

It was true. My Feebas' stomach was bulging to its limit. I didn't think it could hold much more.

"One more," I said. I had little hope left. I pushed the pokeblock into the poor Feebas' mouth and waited. It swallowed, blinking twice. Suddenly, it began to glow.

"Finally!" I cried. The Feebas stretched into a large, serpent-like creature. A Milotic. I hugged it. "I'm sorry I was so selfish. I knew you'd be a beautiful Milotic someday."

"Milo!" it chirped. I was so happy, I was ready to cry.

"Ahem." Archie's voice came from beside me. "Do you want to go get your Contest pass?"

"Oh! Yes!" Everything was going so well for me today. I couldn't think of anything to ruin it.

"Come on then, Li," Archie said, opening the door and stepping out.

"Ah, don't worry about calling me that anymore," I said. "It's getting to be a bother. I like Brooke better. It fits the Team I'm with." I smiled. Calling Milotic to its pokeball, I hurried out the door behind Archie.

* * *

"One Contest pass? Here you go," the Contest regulator behind the desk said as she handed me my pass. "The next contest is next week." She then handed me a booklet titled "Coordination: How to be a perfect Coordinator." 

I blinked once, then opened it up to the first page.

"_Twirls and spins are essential to being a coordinator. Oh, and you _have_ to have the outfit – matching clothes for your pokemon and you are musts!"_

I blinked again before closing the book and walking out of the center.

"I think I'm going to have to improvise," I muttered to myself, walking down to the beach. At the water's edge, I removed my shoes, pulling out Milotic's pokeball.

I held it straight out in front of me, my arm extended at a ninety-degree angle with my body. Giving a half-twirl by pivoting on my left foot, I tossed the pokeball into the air.

"Milotic!"

Milotic appeared on the sand next to me, immediately starting to slither around my feet in a circular motion.

"You're a natural, aren't you, Milotic?" I laughed. "Aurora Beam!"

Milotic lifted its head and shot a rainbow beam into the sky. At the angle it was, the beam transformed into sort of an aurora borealis-type display.

"Good, Milotic!" I began to laugh. I had a perfect pokemon now, and I knew that if I had stayed at home I would've never gotten to where I was now.

"Brooke!" A voice came from the Pokenav at my waist. I had forgotten that Archie had given it to me.

"Yeah?" I said, opening it up. I saw Archie's face on the screen, a look of concern everywhere. "What's wrong?"

"Team Magma's stolen the Blue Orb. We've got the Red Orb, but they're heading to the Seafloor Cavern right now. We have to hurry if we want to beat them."

I blinked. "Wait, what? I don't know what's going on."

Archie sighed. "We'll be there in a moment. Just go to the dock to your right and hop on the boat when it gets there." The screen went blank.

I closed the Pokenav and called Milotic back to its pokeball. "Sorry, Milotic. Looks like our training is going to be postponed."

I slipped on my shoes and dashed onto the dock Archie had mentioned. True to his word, a large motorboat sped up to the dock and stopped, allowing me to jump on. As soon as my feet hit the deck, it backed out of the harbor and sped out into the ocean.

"What's going on?" I said as Archie walked over to me.

"You know what Kyogre is, right?"

I nodded. "A Legendary."

"Yes. One that needs to be protected. But Team Magma has gone after Groudon, Kyogre's counterpart. You'll see the effects of what they're doing soon," he said. Before long, I saw what he meant.

It was nearing dusk, but the sun suddenly changed directions in the sky and rose to the middle of the sky, its light intensifying greatly. I could feel the heat on my skin start to burn me. "Archie!" I cried. "What's going on!"

"Come inside," he said, pushing me inside. "It's going to get worse."

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"It's Team Magma. You know that they want nothing more than to dry up all the oceans and have more place for people and pokemon to live?"

I nodded.

"Well, this is the result of it," he said, pulling the blinds down across the windows. But that did little to shut the ever-growing light out. "They're going after Groudon, and nothing will be able to stop them."

I thought for a moment. "But what does this weather have to do with anything?"

"The Blue Orb that Maxie has that is used to control Groudon, but should never be separated from the Red Orb. We had both, until they stole one. That was a mistake."

I sat down, my mind whirring with thoughts. I was silent for the rest of the ride, until we arrived at a small island that housed a cave that seemed to lead underground.

"If I asked you to, could you battle?" Archie said, handing me three pokeballs. I nodded. I was ready for anything now.


	9. The Capture of Groudon

I'm sorry for a late update…I'm working on two other stories at the same time (Organization XIII: Resurrection and Harmony), so this kinda got pushed aside for a while. But I got to it at last! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Capture of Groudon**

The boat sped across the water, the pokemon swimming there clearing a path for us, sensing something was wrong. The sun grew hotter as we went, the temperature gauge reaching insanely high levels.

"So this is all Team Magma's doing?" I said. Archie nodded.

A beep came from the radio. Archie picked the handset up. "Yes?"

"Sir! We've arrived at the Underwater Cavern! But we're being beaten by Team Magma!"

"What?" Archie said, frowning. "Why?"

"The sun. Even if it can't reach us here, it's absorbing the energy of our water pokemon."

"I'll be there soon. Just keep them from getting to Groundon."

"Sir!" The radio buzzed and cut off.

Archie sighed. "We'd better hurry," he said, opening a glass case beside the steering wheel. He pushed the button labeled "Push in emergency – power boost."

Almost immediately there was an increase in speed, the boat gathering power as it skimmed the water.

"There it is," Archie said after a few minutes of silence. "The Underwater Cavern. Or at least, the part that isn't underwater."

I was silent for a while longer. "But how will we get to the underwater part of it?"

"My pokemon know Dive. Your should, too. Just pick one and go along with it."

Archie pulled up to a make-shift dock, another boat with Team Aqua's emblem on the side tied up as well.

Archie and I hurried off the boat, heading to the water's edge.

"Sharpedo!" Archie tossed a pokeball out, a shark-like pokemon appearing in the water.

I looked at the three pokeballs I had. "What pokemon are in here?"

"Wailord, Lapras, and Vaporeon. Choose quickly."

I hesitated before throwing a pokeball into the air. "Lapras!"

A Lapras appeared, giving a small, song-like cry. I climbed onto its back and waited for Archie, who waded into the water and held onto his Sharpedo.

"Dive!" Both of us gave the command at the same time.

Once under the water, I was amazed at the beauty of the life that lived below the surface. There were Seadras and Horseas swimming together, and Mantines playing with Remoraids. The plant life down there was also extraordinary, glowing in the sunlight. Seeing the sun, however, brought me back to reality, remembering why I was there.

Entering the cave entrance, me, Archie, and our pokemon surfaced, climbing out of the water onto solid ground.

"Mighteyena! Tackle!"

Sounds of a battle could be heard from inside beyond the entrance to the cavern itself. I swallowed and called Lapras back to its pokeball, starting to walk forward. But I found that I couldn't.

_Are you afraid? Do you not think you can battle?_ I shook my head. I looked up into the darkness beyond the entrance. My blue-grey eyes now shined with determination: nothing would stop me now.

* * *

"I knew you'd be here," I said, when I saw who was fighting with Team Magma.

"Brooke! How nice to see you!" Aiden's fake, cheery voice didn't break my concentration.

"Why do you want Groudon?" I asked.

"Come on, Brooke. Why don't we go discuss this over lunch or something, you know?" Aiden's voice changed to a laid-back kind of tone, and he put an arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off, my face frozen in an icy glare.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it, then fine. Blaziken!" Aiden threw a pokeball into the air before I could even reply. "Flamethrower!"

I didn't have time to react before he attacked me – and a defenseless me, too. "Vaporeon!" I whispered. "Acid Armor!"

When the smoke cleared, Aiden's smirk dropped. I was still standing, my Vaporeon in front of me, glowing from the Acid Armor.

"I've got some new pokemon, Aiden. Get ready."

Aiden growled, then gave a new command, "Blaze Kick!"

"Water Pulse!"

Vaporeon sent out a shockwave of water, which collided with Blaziken, who had been charging toward us, powering up for its attack.

But our attack had confused it.

"Hydro Pump!" I cried.

Vaporeon shot a blast of high-pressured water at the confused Blaziken. Immediately, the fire pokemon fell to the ground, unconscious.

Aiden's eyes widened as he called Blaziken back, sending out Typhlosion. "Flame Wheel!"

"Surf!" I called. Vaporeon summoned a giant wave of water that crashed down on the approaching Typhlosion. Another knockout. I laughed. "Someone should've told you that fire is weak against water!"

Aiden suddenly smirked. "But water is weak against grass!"

My eyes narrowed. "Team Magma is a fire-pokemon-based organization!"

It was Aiden's turn to laugh. "Not always so, Brooke! Houndoom! SOLARBEAM!"

I shook my head in denial, not wanting to believe I had made such a stupid mistake. "No! Acid Armor!"

The attack seemingly bounced off of Vaporeon's armor, but it still took a fair amount of damage. "Rain Dance!" I cried, praying that something would work.

But it didn't.

Vaporeon was knocked out. I dug around in my bag. "Wailord! Water Spout!" Tears began flowing out of my eyes. I knew I was going to lose. I knew I was going to let Archie and everyone else in Team Aqua down.

"Smog!" Instantly, Houndoom disappeared, and Wailord missed its target.

"Solarbeam!"

That was it. I was defeated. I dropped to my knees, the tears still flowing. My bag dropped to the ground, and a pokeball rolled out of it. I picked it up, and noticed a note on it.

_Happy Birthday, Brooke. We're sorry about the pokemon that Aunt Rose sent you – we'll send it to the pokemon Day-care near Mauville if you want. For now, here's your _real_ present – from Mum and Dad._

A new wave of tears began to flood up in my eyes. I hugged the pokeball to my chest.

"Giving up already? Come on, Brooke! I thought you were stronger than that."

All of a sudden, the tears disappeared from my eyes. I stood up with renewed strength, and tossed the pokeball into the air, pleading for something good to happen.

"Medicham!"

I gave a small chuckle, which turned into a maniacal-sounding laugh. I looked to Aiden with scared him – for now he was the one that had a frightened look on his face. "You're going down, Aiden!"

"Medicham! Focus Punch!" I yelled. Medicham's fist began to glow and it launched a spectacular punch at Houndoom. The pokemon was knocked to the ground, and it was soon unconscious after a hit from a Hi-Jump Kick.

"But…but…how?" Aiden stammered. "Medicham isn't a water-type!"

I winked at him. "Ah, but of course not. But Mighteyena isn't fire, is it?"

Aiden didn't say anything. I laughed.

"Brooke! This way!" Archie's voice led me to another entrance, to a smaller cave. This one led to a maze of tunnels, which ended up at the base of a pit filled with lava. Not a volcano, but just a place where there happened to be a bunch of lava.

And on the other side of the pit was Maxie. But he was holding something. I squinted. A blue-colored, round thingy…

The blue orb.

"Archie! He's going to use the blue orb!"

"Maxie! Don't awaken - !"

But it was too late.

A shockwave of blue light streamed out from the orb, knocking me and Archie to the ground. A large, molten lava-covered figure was rising out of the pit, it size astounding me.

"Groudon…" Archie finished quietly.

There was silence while Groudon emerged fully – except for Maxie's maniacal laughter, that is.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind us. "Walrein! Blizzard!"

An icy blast swept past Archie and me, and it hit Groudon dead-on. I turned around to see who it was. I gasped.

"Rory?" I whispered. Why was she here? How did she _get_ here?

"Yawn!" came her next attack. Walrein yawned loudly, and Groudon did too a moment later. Soon, Groudon was snoring quietly on the side of the pit, sound asleep.

"Ultra ball, go!" Rory threw a black and yellow pokeball at the pokemon. The pokeball fell to the ground after Groudon was drawn inside, the button on the outside blinking. The air was tense as everyone watched, waited.

Finally, it stopped blinking. Rory gave a sigh of relief and picked the pokeball up, putting it in her bag.

We looked back up at Maxie, whose jaw had dropped sometime between Rory's arrival and her capture of Groudon. I smirked. "So much for your plan, Maxie!" I taunted.

"What – you – why – I…" Maxie stuttered. "Give me back my Groudon!" he yelled.

"Sorry. Finders keepers, losers weepers." Rory pulled out another pokeball. "Aggron! Dig!" An Aggron appeared and immediately began digging. "Peace." Rory flashed a smile and gave the peace sign, disappearing from view as she jumped down into the hole.

"After her!" Maxie cried. "Don't let her steal my Groudon."

I had past the point where I could stop laughing easily. Seeing this stupid girl take a Legendary from under Maxie's nose…that was too much to take. Several Team Magma grunts climbed down into the hole, but were forced out when they were hit by a blast from Hyper Beam.

"Where's Kyogre?" I asked, once I had stopped laughing.

Archie shook his head. "We won't disturb that creature. If Groudon brings extreme sunlight to take away from the water, then Kyogre brings rains that would flood the world. We can't risk it." He turned to the other Aqua members that surrounded him. "Let's go."

Once back on the surface, we saw that it was raining. The rain felt good on my face – and reminded me that I did have something to look for at home: my parents.

They didn't want me to be unhappy – they just wanted to see me safe and content. I began to understand their thoughts now, and made a decision for my own.

"Archie?" I said, once back on the boat.

"Yeah?" Archie had set the boat on auto-pilot, and set the navigation system back to Lilycove.

"I think I need to go back home."

"Yes, yes; we're going back to Lilycove as fast as we can."

I shook my head. "I mean, back to Newbark, where I came from."

Archie looked at me. "You mean, leave Team Aqua? Brooke…we might need you."

I shook my head again. "No! I mean that I just need to go be with my parents for a while. I'll keep in touch, I promise."

Archie was silent for a moment before giving a sigh. "If that's what you want, we can take you as far as Petalburg."

I smiled. "Thank you, Archie."

"I'll send your payment to your house in a few days, the stuff you earned from your first mission and for helping me here."

I gave a small bow. "Thank you, Archie."

* * *

A few hours later, I was back in Petalburg. I looked around at the trees and plants, and it felt like I had been gone forever from here. Taking a shortcut, I was soon behind Professor Birch's lab, close to home.

"Mum? Dad? I'm home!" I called.

"You did WHAT?"

Something definitely tells me that I shouldn't have said anything about Team Aqua…

**The End

* * *

**

Beginning of a sequel, possibly:

**One year later...**

_Ring._

"Brooke, phone."

_Ring._

"BROOKE! GET THE PHONE!"

I sighed and let go of the weed I was pulling from my mum's garden. I walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Brooke? It's Archie. We need your help relocating to Kanto. Maxie's on our trail again and we're having some problems."

I dropped the phone. After receiving my collection of water and ice pokemon (plus some money), I had unofficially severed my ties with Team Aqua. I hadn't spoken with Archie in…

I looked at the calendar. Exactly one year today.

"Brooke? Brooke? Hello? Is anyone there?" Archie's voice came from the phone.

I looked outside at the weeds I had been pulling. Sure, I'd made some friends in the last year, but Mum had grounded me as well for "being rash" and doing something "incredibly stupid."

I picked up the phone. "When should I start?"

* * *

-sigh-

And that's the end of that. Unless you want me to do a sequel, that is. -wink-

You know, I was about a page and a half into writing this chapter when I realized that I was writing in the wrong tense. I was writing in third person when I should be writing in first. Talk about a bad mistake.

See if you can find the lines from Kingdom Hearts in here. Cookies to the person who does.


End file.
